Hi Guys Need a little advice. I have a speed triple 1050 on the 10 plate in blazing orange which is my pride and joy I had an issue with it not starting or getting any life from the dials while on the Isle Of Man for the TT this year. Upon returning home I done some digging and with some advice from my local triumph dealer decided it was the ignition switch. Removing the ignition switch required quite a strip down so when it was stripped I decided to do an oil and plug service. While installing the centre plug it snapped off in the hole! I had my torque wrench set at 10nm NGK recommend 10-15nm and it didn't get there! After 5 mins of panic and sweating I calmed down enough to figure out how to remove the threaded part of the plug from the hole. My questions are There is a chance that a piece of swarf of a very small fragment of metal may have fallen into the chamber. How will I know? will it work its way out? and is it possible the fragment is so small that it may not be an issue? I did put a telescopic magnet into the hole afterwards but it came up clean. I am just a bit worried, Thankyou in advan
The only way to feel assured is to stick an airline down with as much pressure as you can to blow out any foreign crap.
I think you'd be very unlucky to have fragments in the hole after doing the magnet trick but do the airline method as well. I've never used a torque wrench to put a plug in use the force Luke (I don't even like starwars)and never had a problem in 40 years of pissing about with engines
Hi. 10 Nm is nothing just a SLIGHT nip. I would check your Torque wrench. I think you are ok as far as swarf goes. Stick the end of your hoover in there with a narrow tube taped on the end. Then move on.
Agree with the vac method. Does it look like there is anything missing from the knackered plug or the thread in the plug hole? You may not have anything in there.
Thanks Sprinter. I know 10nm is nothing but I like to err on the side of caution when it comes to plugs. I have changed countless plugs in my time and always used the torque wrench since I snapped a plug 10 years ago and all have been fine since even the two others on my triple went in no probs. I can be very heavy handed so it stops me going to far!
Thanks Yorkshireman The plug hole is 10mm wide and about 6 or7 inches down from the top of the engine so access is very limited but I will give it a go, cheers
Sorry Sprinter, Why? because I am heavy handed? or you thought the wrench was 10 years old?(its 18months old) or because its a torque wrench and it needs to be checked after a while?
I am presuming you referring to the ceramics snapping and it will be because you had the plug socket at an angle, the only thing your likely to get is a bit of the ceramic fall into the cylinder as you removed the plug, in which case the hoover approach will work, anything small will get expelled when the engine starts anyway and is unlikely to connect with anything on its way, you would be surprised what can pass through an engine. As said a plug just requires a tweak to make secure, i have seen so many heads with ruined plug threads, and helicoils as a result of people swinging in them, i haven't used a torque wrench in the last 45 years other than the odd torques the angle bolts on some con rods and mains
Hi Tricky Dicky Thanks for your comments and advice. The plug broke at the top of the thread right where the crush washer sits. I am always careful putting plugs in and now that one has broken using the wrench I think I will take yours and others advice and just "feel it" I think it may have been a faulty plug because I took it back to where I bought it and the guy didn't even quibble , just gave me a new plug for free! Going back to your comment about things passing through the engine surely if a fragment of metal from the plug has fallen into the cylinder there is no way out once a plug is in? I am not sure what it looks like inside the cylinder of my speed triple so I don't know if there is a possible way out? Sean
Hi Sean, that's the first time i have heard of a plug breaking at the thread, that's why i mentioned about seeing so many heads with the thread striped due to gorilla tightening, what make was the plug, did you examine the broken one closely to see the likelihood of any of it dropping into the cylinder? As said by others a decent hoover held to the plug hole will likely get anything out, although it will work better if once you have done it once slowly bring that cylinder up to TDC on the firing stroke so both valves are closed and try again this will reduce the area and most likely get any larger particles out. I have seen turbos fail and found the ceramic parts of the turbine in the exhaust, and found no resulting damage to the cylinder or head, so doing the procedure static with a hoover will likely get anything out, and if you are worried have another go with a magnetic stick as well, personally i would do that and then try and start it....but i make no guarantees i'm afraid
Cheers tricky Once again thanks for you advice. I have put in many plugs over the years in both bikes and cars I have had the porcelain break above the nut once but never the thread! That’s why I think the plug was faulty there was virtually no pressure applied to it before it snapped and the fact that the motor factors gave me a replacement NGK plug for free makes me think they have come across this before. Anyway I put the bike on the road today with new plugs K&N filter cleaned the throttle bodies tightened the throttle cable and it runs like a dream very peppy done 150 miles on it. Fingers crossed.
Glad its sorted, i doubt you will have any problems if you have don 150mls on it, never heard of an NGK plug do that before i nearly always use them, anyway enjoy.
